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AN ANALYSIS OF SRI
AUROBINDO'S
INTRODUCTION
An
Extraordinary Vision of
the Future
Human Transformation and a Divine Life on Earth
In one
sense, Sri Aurobindo is the most radical of radicals. He
begins with the extraordinary assertion that we humans
might not be the ultimate form of life to emerge on
earth. That we are likely to witness the emergence of a
new type of individual from out of the current
(transitional) human form. In addition, this new
individual will live his life from a spiritual
poise and perspective -- enabling the infinite powers of
the Divine consciousness to enter his being, releasing
his ultimate potential, and giving new meaning and
purpose to his existence in the cosmos. Sri
Aurobindo suggests that we can begin to live this life
by centering our consciousness
to a deeper poise within -- instead of living on
the surface, where we
perceive life through
ignorance, division, duality, contradiction, suffering,
and pain. From this inner perspective, we perceive our
daily existence with greater clarity and insight; are
more in touch with the multiplicity of truths unfolding
around us; are in greater harmony with the needs of the
environment, including others; and are generally more
aware and conscious of who we are, and what purpose we
serve in life.
This
level of self-awareness and self-consciousness is just
the starting point for an even greater change -- the
evolution and transformation of our being through
contact with the spiritual dimension of life. In The
Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo explains that there are
two primary means by which we connect to and are
transformed by the Spirit.
First, he
informs us that in the depths of our being there is a
True Self and Spirit -- an evolving Soul that he
calls the "Psychic Being" -- which is the primary lever
and means of our evolutionary change. By connecting to
our Evolving Soul, we perceive our ultimate purpose in
life, open to the vast array of spiritual insights,
forces, and powers in the universe; feel a sense of
oneness with everything and all around us; and as a
result experience ultimate joy and delight in being
alive.
Second, he reveals that around us there is also a
descending spiritual Force -- a Supramental truth
consciousness -- that we can open to, allowing Its
infinite truth power to enter our being, and uplift,
perfect, and transform it. It turns out that this
supramental truth consciousness is not only the
descending spiritual power that can hasten our progress,
evolution, and transformation, but it is in fact the
very force and power that enabled the universe to emerge
from a Divine Source. As
we take up the call to discover our higher nature; as we
come in touch with our evolving soul; as we open and
surrender to the descending supramental power, we begin
to make the decisive evolutionary and transformational
change. Through this reversal of consciousness, our old
nature is transmuted into a new supernature. Not only
are our mental, vital, and physical parts uplifted, and
our capacities dramatically enhanced, but we feel a deep
connection and oneness with the world around us. In
addition, we begin to feel a profound connection with
the cosmic and transcendent spiritual reality, which
helps us perceive life's true purpose, and our own
purpose as instruments of the Higher Power. Finally, out
of all of these inner and outer experience, we feel a
deep and abiding Joy and Delight in being alive. As
individuals make this decisive change in their nature,
as they infuse all parts of their being with this higher
consciousness, there then gradually emerges a new type
of Person -- a Gnostic, Supramental being, whose
existence is organized around the power of the Spirit.
As a number of such individuals make this decisive
change, a new human social existence begins to emerge,
culminating in a Divine Life on earth.
This is
the powerful vision that Sri Aurobindo has offered the
world. This is the revelation of a future existence for
the individual and the society that he has captured sp
eloquently in his metaphysical treatise The
Life Divine.
The
Story of the Universe In addition to his vision of a new humanity organized around the spiritual dimension of life, The Life Divine also tells the story of how the universe came to be from a Divine Source. Throughout the 56 chapters of the book, Sri Aurobindo refers to the process by which "forms of force" have emerged from an Infinite consciousness -- producing the energy, matter, and life forms in the universe. He also indicates that through this "involutionary" movement from spirit to energy, followed by an "evolutionary" movement from matter to mind, humans emerged as ignorant, divided beings who have lost connection with the One, Infinite Reality. He also describes how in the evolution we can evolve ourselves back to the original Higher Nature of the Original consciousness so that we can fulfill our individual and universal destiny and purpose.
Sri
Aurobindo describes how an infinite
omnipresent Reality extended Itself into a Being,
and then a Conscious Force, and a Delight
in the involutionary process that would lead to a
manifest universe. He then goes on to describe
the role played by a fourth aspect -- the Supramental
Truth consciousness -- in converting the Conscious-Force
into the energy that would become the source
of all matter, life forms,
and mental functioning in the cosmos. Sri Aurobindo also explains the purpose and destiny of life in the universe -- i.e. why a universe of forms was created from out of a Divine source. He says that the Infinite Consciousness created this universe for the purpose of Delight; or more specifically so that It could extend its own static Delight into a dynamic Delight experienced by an infinite, multiplicity, and variety of forms (including we humans) in the manifest universe. How then do we experience that Delight? He says that when we rise in consciousness and discover our higher, true nature, we experience joy and delight -- thereby fulfilling the Divine Intent for manifesting a universe of forms out of Itself. In
essence, we regenerate the consciousness that was lost
when the universe first emerged as unconscious matter
from a spiritual Source; and through that discovery of
our higher individual, cosmic, and transcendent nature,
experience ultimate, dynamic delight and joy, fulfilling
the Divine Intent. [EP]
It is indeed a most
profound vision that Sri Aurobindo has provided the
world with in his 1000+ page revelation of truth and
infinite possibility. Something perhaps unprecedented in
human history as he has actually explained in full the
nature of the ultimate Reality; the process of creation
from a Divine Source; how life emerged from that source
and continues to evolve ; the limitations and potentials
of life in the universe, including our own human makeup;
the means by which we can evolve our consciousness and
overcome our limitations born of creation; the power of
the spirit within and about that can transform our
nature; and the possibility of a spirit-based Divine
life on earth.
He
only wonders if we will respond and take up his
challenge: whether we will hear the spiritual call and
make the difficult, yet infinitely rewarding
psychological and spiritual effort to bring about this
new consciousness in the world.
Though
the principles are profound and sublime, anyone can
benefit from the knowledge presented in The Life
Divine. Seekers of truth and the spirit will
discover a way to fulfillment and spiritual realization.
Thinkers will marvel at his evolutionary philosophy.
Scientists will appreciate his insights into the nature
of reality. And business leaders, social scientists,
educators, and artists will be heartened by his insights
into the creative process. Sri Aurobindo has sketched
out a new world view that can be applied to any field of
life, and for any purpose. His insights tell us why
there is difficulty and pain in life, as well as the way
out. He provides us with a deep understanding of
our limitations, even as he presents us with a panorama
of our infinite potential. He gives us the tools to
elevate our lives, so that we can realize our hopes and
dreams; and fulfill our deepest aspirations in life. Perhaps, most importantly he reveals the power of the Spirit in life to transform and uplift humanity. He implores us to open ourselves to the descending spiritual Force so that it can work its magic in our lives. By opening to the Infinite, we rise in character and consciousness, and we develop a deep, abiding connection with the world around us. Through the extraordinary experiences of spirit in our lives, we overcome all notions of what is humanly possible; we shed limited perceptions of causality, and traditional views of space and time. Through spirit, we replace the finite with the infinite, and bring the future into the present. Through spirit we accomplish in the extreme, as we are able to create the greatest results in the shortest period of time with the least effort. Through spirit we attract the universe to us from within. Through spirit, we know our deepest purpose in life, feel a deep connection with everyone and everything, including the ultimate transcendent Reality. As a result of all such experiences and realizations, we feel an intense joy and delight in being alive.
Overcoming the Obstacles of
the Book Demands on the Reader And yet despite the powerful
vision that Sri Aurobindo has offered the world, the
truth is that most people find The Life Divine a
very difficult, if not impossible book to work their way
through, let alone decipher and understand. Its long,
extended passages, though perfectly logical and
impeccably written, is not easily grasped by the normal
human intellect. Its dense prose, unfamiliar terms, and
supra-normal experiences transcend both our experiences
and our knowledge.
Fortunately, there is an extreme logic in every word,
sentence, paragraph, passage, and chapter in the book.
There is a perfection of writing, of philosophy,
metaphysics, and insight that can be understood if we
come to the book with a steady and
concentrated mind. If we have the inner calm, the
discipline, the patience, the keen interest, and an
openness to the extraordinary possibilities expressed,
then we can more readily follow the rich arguments, and
comprehend the laws and principles expressed in this
magnificent exposition of the Eternal.
There is
yet another problem that the book presents us with.
Normally, in a work of non-fiction, we acquire knowledge
in a cumulative manner, as we systematically make our
way from one chapter to the next. In The Life Divine,
however, most if not all of the major terms and insights
are actually there in
every
chapter, making it that much more difficult to navigate
these dense, but powerful passages. For
example, in the relatively simple first chapters, Sri
Aurobindo refers to terms and insights about the nature
of the divine Reality that is not explained until later
on, making it difficult to follow his reasoning and
arguments. There seems to be an assumption by the author
that the reader is required to understand a number of
terms and principles before they are even explained!
That might suggest that Sri Aurobindo did not write the
book for the average person, or at least the one-time
reader, but rather for those who are serious and are
willing to make the journey through the dense underbrush
of argument several times -- and do so with deep,
concentrated effort. Or perhaps he secretly hoped that
others (such as this author) would digest the knowledge
so others (i.e. you the reader) could easily make their
way through this dense, though perfectly ordered opus of
wisdom and knowledge.
There is also a third issue that challenges the reader.
How can one truly grasp Sri Aurobindo's ideas and
insights if one has had not personally had such
experiences: if one has not grappled with those forces,
powers, dimensions, and planes in one's own life Again,
Sri Aurobindo provides no obvious way around this
dilemma; asking only that we keep an open mind, and that
we let the knowledge wash over us, so that we are
somehow touched at a deeper level.
There is
one final issue that we are confronted with in
approaching The Life Divine. It is the way the
spiritual dimension of life is presented to us. The fact
is that his views are so radically different from the
tradition, that it is difficult to secure spiritual
anchor points. Sri
Aurobindo's unique metaphysical insights into the nature
of spirit and matter; and the nature of the Divine
reality in terms of involutionary and evolutionary
process transcend all previous insights into the nature
of human, cosmic, and transcendent existence. It even
defies the vast spiritual insights of his own homeland,
India. Again, if we give up past notions of what the
spiritual life is, what spiritual progress entails, and
open to some very unique notions of life's unfolding in
the cosmos, then
The Life Divine
will become more accessible to us.
As
we perceive his unique perceptions of spiritual life,
including a divine life for the individual and society,
we begin to feel something unusual inside. As we read
through these unique metaphysical and practical
concepts, we feel that we have been touched by a
vibration from the future; that we are privy to a future
spiritual knowledge in the here and now. Even if you
have had certain types of spiritual experiences before,
you will sense something very different here. It is hard
to explain, but when experienced you have a sense of an
utter freshness, of a unique force flowing, of some
unthought of spiritual dream that has come down into the
earth's atmosphere, and has lodged in your heart and
mind.
For all
of these reasons, I hope you find the analysis of The
Life Divine presented at this site to be useful.
That it clarifies and simplifies the profound messages
contained in the book. That it overcomes any limitations
and demands that the book places on the reader.
Our goal is to make Sri
Aurobindo's greatest work and teaching accessible and
understandable for the general reader, so that we can
turn this knowledge into a living truth; so that it
becomes a guiding light for infinite progress,
accomplishment, and delight of being.
One obvious question that
presents itself when we analyze the book is how Sri
Aurobindo knew or perceived all of the things he wrote
about -- such as how the universe emerged from a Divine
source. Did he have a special ear to the Divine or to
God? Or was it perhaps just a mental exercise fro him,
in which through logic and reason he was able to devise
a comprehensive theory of existence? Or did he simply
synthesize the knowledge that was already there in the
tradition? In
my view, his inspirations descended into his field of
awareness from the Heights as pure truths and principles
of existence through his vast consciousness that was
stationed at the plane of "spiritualized mind."
When
Sri Aurobindo wrote he was not merely using the normal
rational capacity of mind to develop logical argument,
but rather he experienced a continuous flow of knowledge
from the higher spiritualized planes of mind. By
spiritualized, I mean that it went beyond the simple
hard churning of thought, and instead came to him
through ethereal planes of mentality that his
consciousness was in tune with. In
his mind of silence, he had the "open space" to think
more clearly that led to right, insightful argument and
reason. Through his illumined mind -- one plane higher
-- he had visions and illuminations of knowledge and
truth and truth that he transcribed into argument.
Through the plane of intuitive mind -- higher still --
he experienced direct intuitions and revelations of
knowledge and truth without the necessity of any thought
on his part at all. The complete knowledge just appeared
in his mind without thought that he then transcribed.
Through supramental perception -- the highest of all
spiritualized mind planes -- he, in association with
that plane, literally created new thought, new truth
that had never existed before. In other words, he
invoked truth and knowledge never known before in the
world, and yet put him in touch with the workings and
unfoldings of the Infinite and life in the cosmos. He
wrote from each of these planes -- with his inspiration
shifting amongst them, which produced greater or lesser
levels of inspiration and insight. The higher the plane,
the more direct the insight and perception of the object
of knowledge he was addressing. I.e. the greater the
truth of things.
Through these spiritual powers of perception; through
these spiritual-like intimations of wisdom and
knowledge, he was able to experience the knowledge of
the Divine from
the Divine. It is as if the Infinite consciousness and
Reality broadcast knowledge vibrations of Itself --
explaining its own nature, makeup, processes,
intentions, et al -- and Sri Aurobindo had the inner
antennae to lock into these signals. In that way, he was
jotting down the truths of the Divine directly from the
Mind, or consciousness of the Divine. But
that is not all. Though his wisdom came through this
supra-normal cognition capacity, it also was developed
through his own life experiences -- from his everyday
perceptions of how life functioned; including that of
the individual human. For example, he was able to
perceive the limitations, capacities, and powers of the
human psyche because he had all of these experiences
himself. He was thus able to organize the aspects and
qualities of the of the human individual into
identifiable categories, patterns, and scales of human
consciousness.
He
was also able to organize, categorize, and devise
principles and laws of life pertaining to the way life
itself operated. Through his own experiences, he
perceived planes of consciousness in life that ranged
from matter to spirit, from the gross material to the
subtle and causal. He also indentified corresponding
planes of being in the human individual, from mental to
spiritual, from an outer surface consciousness to the
deepest depths within. It was in the latter that he
discovered the well-spring of the spirit within us, in
the psychic being, the evolving soul within. Again, he
was able to devise them not out of a mental formulation,
but through direct experience of each of these planes.
including their powers, capacities, limitations, and
future potentials. Combining his perceptions of life through spiritualized mind, his encyclopedic knowledge of the spiritual tradition (i.e. the Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, and other spiritual wisdom of the world), and his own personal life experiences, there emerged from him a titanic spiritual flow of wisdom that he unleashed in his Magnus Opus of existence in the universe, The Life Divine
There is one other matter to
address when considering the obstacles presented by
The Life Divine. It is the actual language -- i.e.
the diction and terminology -- used in the book. Not
only is Sri Aurobindo's expression rich and dense with
argument, counterargument, and infinitely profound
conclusion, but the terminology used is quite unusual --
even unprecedented in use of the English language. Both
the average reader, and those individuals steeped in the
spiritual tradition are likely to find it that way. Expressions like
"omnipresent Reality" "atomic existence," "Conscious
Force," "reversal of consciousness," "Real Ideas," "the
evolving soul," "supramental perception," "involution,"
and "inconscience," to name a few, punctuate the book.
Thought they may appear foreign to us at first, they
nevertheless capture the Reality that he has uncovered
for the world and explained in the book. Even the modern jargon of
science and technology will pale before the bold
expressions and descriptive terms that permeate The
Life Divine. Unlike modern technological and
scientific jargon, his terms are not destined for the
scrapheap of fad and short term-obsolescence, but are
rather bold, bright, illumined expression of a Reality
that will be there for all eternity; that we will come
to know and realize more and more in the future. Again, it is our role at this analysis site of his masterwork to explain such terms as best we can, so that you have a clear understanding of their meaning, nature, and purpose. Moreover, if you pursue the book with vigor, these terms can eventually become a part of your own vocabulary, and your own ongoing understanding of the nature of life in the cosmos. At that point, you will truly begin to understand Sri Aurobindo's mind -- including his cosmology, and his message of the dawn of the divinized individual, followed by a divine life on earth.
There is one final point to address, and it is perhaps the most important for you the reader. Though Sri Aurobindo writes of Spirit, the divine Reality, planes of consciousness, supernormal experiences, the process of involution and evolution, etc. the book is ultimately about Life - life as experienced by the individual, and life as expressed through our collective existence. The book is no mere tome on cosmology or the vast array of supra-physical planes, but how we can apply that Reality in our daily existence, enabling us to fulfill our infinite potential. This means that what wherever he expresses an idea, or principle, he means for us to be apply it in a practical way to the events, circumstance, and activities of our own life. For example, if he writes of a theory of creation by which the universe emerged from a Divine source, he also wants us to experience that same process in our own lives; to follow it in a practical way from a vision of something to be achieved to its manifestation; just as the Reality did when it manifest a universe of forms out of its Conscious-Force. In the end, Sri Aurobindo is asking us to participate in a process so that we can uplift our own lives, while still fulfilling a wider universal and transcendent purpose. Life therefore is the nexus of change. It is here that the experiment will unfold. It is here in our daily existence that we practically apply his lofty cosmic principles. He intended it so because he called his book The Life Divine. With this in mind, I would like to now formally welcome you to a journey of a lifetime: a voyage not only to the spiritual peaks of knowledge and wisdom, but to the shores of personal progress, evolution, transformations. I welcome you to the ultimate adventure of consciousness and joy. Structure and Summary of the Book Sri
Aurobindo has designed The Life Divine in two
books. The first book contains 28 chapters, and the
second book consists of two parts, each containing 14
chapters, for a total of 56 chapters. Book I is entitled The Omnipresent Reality and The Universe. Here Sri Aurobindo describes how the Infinite Consciousness, the omnipresent Reality (Brahman, the Absolute) extended Itself through the power of Truth Consciousness (Supermind) to become this universe of forms. He also explains the origin and underlying nature of the planes of creation, from matter to vital life to mind, and on back to Spirit. Sri Aurobindo tells us
that Man has emerged as a divided being, unable to
fulfill his deepest human aspiration for God, Light,
Peace, Joy, Love, and Immortality. And yet if we move to
a deeper consciousness within, and open to the
descending Supramental power above, we will overcome our
divided nature, develop a new consciousness that will be
the basis of a divine existence on earth. He goes further and indicates that as we overcome our Ignorance, we can also embark on the yogic effort to that will bring about our psychic, spiritual, and supramental transformation, leading to a spirit-based humanity, culminating in a Divine life on Earth.
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